What’s New: Maricopa Community Colleges has been recognized as the only community college district in Arizona included on Forbes 2024 list of America’s Best In-State Employers. The system, supported by more than 10,000 faculty and staff members, has been a staple among higher education institutions in the Valley, serving learners for over 100 years.
“We are honored to be recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best In-State Employers,” said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor. “This accolade not only validates the hard work and dedication of our employees, who are the heart of our system, but the service and support we provide to thousands of students each academic year.”
Why it Matters: Maricopa Community Colleges plays a key role in driving workforce development for the nation’s fourth most populous county. As the largest community college district in the state, the system—comprising 10 colleges and 31 satellite locations—partners with businesses and industries to offer programs that prepare students for roles in Arizona’s thriving and emerging sectors, including aerospace, technology, advanced manufacturing, bioscience, healthcare, advanced business services, and film and digital media production.
Training and Innovation
Committed to strengthening Arizona’s talent pipeline, Maricopa Corporate College—an extension of the system works hand-in-hand with employers to develop customized corporate training solutions. Additionally, the system is home to three innovation centers, the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation (CEI) and CEI LabForce, which focus on bioscience entrepreneurship and training, and Phoenix Forge, the largest makerspace in the Southwest that provides a space for hobbyists and artisans to breathe life into their creative ideas. These centers drive economic development while providing access to resources, mentorships, and networking opportunities.
A Leading Employer
Maricopa Community Colleges and its employees are regularly recognized for academic and workplace excellence. In 2022, the system was ranked one of America’s Best Employers for Women by Forbes. Additionally, the system has been honored as a Healthy Arizona Worksite Award recipient, Employee Engagement Top Performer by DecisionWise, and received an honorable mention from NISOD and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges. The system offers its employees numerous benefits, including professional development, comprehensive health and wellness programs, and tuition waivers for employees and their eligible dependents.
Dedicated to creating inclusive spaces for all employees and students, the system aligns its values with employee and student needs by offering faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals through seven affinity resource groups: Ability Maricopa, Asian Pacific Islander Association, Equality Maricopa, Juntos por Maricopa, the Maricopa Veteran Education Taskforce, the Maricopa Council on Black American Affairs, and the United Tribal Employees Council.
Looking Ahead
Pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission, MCCCD will launch three additional bachelor’s degree programs in fall 2025, including AI and Machine Learning, Business Administration - Accounting, and Business Administration - Management. Additionally, the system was selected to establish the forthcoming Future48 Workforce Accelerator. This state-of-the-art facility will focus on expanding training Arizonans for roles in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries.
About the Rankings
To obtain the rankings, Forbes partnered with the market research company Statista to survey over 160,000 employees working for companies with at least 500 people within the United States. Those participating in the survey were asked how likely they would recommend their employer on a scale of zero to 10.
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